Only a Slave
by Jade Ocean
Summary: She tried desperately to get him out of her mind. She realized then that he was slowly consuming all of her, her thoughts, her dreams, and more dangerously, her heart. But she knew it could never be. Because he was the master and she was only a slave...
1. All Alone

Hey, everyone!

This is a story about Serena and Darien (my fave anime couple). Everyone in this story is normal, ok? No sailormoon stuff or sailor scouts or talking cats. Just regular people who live regular lives, got it? Good! Anyways, Serena is sold as a slave to-guess who?-Darien and his family, who is _beyond_ rich! It takes place when slavery was still common among the rich. So pls sit back and enjoy the story. Remember, NO FLAMES! If you don't like it, don't read it. Even if you've already read it, and _still_ hate it, pls don't bother reviewing; you're just wasting your time. Ok, I'm sorry to take up so much of your time. On with the story! LOL!

WARNING: I know NOTHING about England. This is ALL fiction. So pls bear with me, and if you have some knowledge you would like to impart with me, pls tell me. You see, I don't really have the time to research about England and stuff, so this is all by whim, understand? Ok, ON WITH THE STORY!

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**Only a Slave**

She was all alone. In this cold and terrible place, she was all by herself. She had no one to turn to; no one to tell her everything was going to be alright. _She was all alone. _And worst of all, she didn't know what to do…

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"We gots ourselves a purty' one 'ere! Who wants 'er? I'll start at ten dollars! Anybody?" The bidder hollered above the noisiness of the old English town.

People bustled around everywhere, trying to shop for food, clothing, tools, etc.

The bidder quickly tried to sell off the rest of the slaves that were captured a few days ago from a small isolated, poor, rebellious town in the northern part of England. The little town was burnt to the ground with nothing left but ashes. Townsfolk were taken prisoners as punishment for their rebellion against the king of England and were to be sold off as slaves. The prisoners were simply horrible. The bidder wanted to get rid of them as fast as possible.

Seventeen-year-old blond blue-eyed Serena Wellingfield was one of them. Her father had been killed in the war and her mama recently passed away from cancer. Her aunt and uncle and their two kids had lived them before in their little shack, but they, too, were killed when the soldiers from the south came and burnt down the entire village. Serena also had no brothers and sisters. Her family was very poor and could barely support themselves. Some days they would go on without any food to eat. Now, she was all alone, left in this world with no family, no money, no anything. And to make things worse, she was gonna be sold off as a slave to some rich snotty family. Oh, if only her mother was still alive! She would help her. But alas, her dear mother had gone to rest beside her husband.

Serena groaned inwardly, craning her neck and trying hard to look over the man's shoulder to see if anybody was bidding for her. At 5'5", she was too short to see above the 6'2" bidder. She let out a tight breath of frustration. "Why won't anybody buy me? Am I not worthy enough to be a slave?" Secretly, she cringed. "I don't even _wanna_ be a slave…then why do I care so much that nobody wants to buy me?"

For what seemed like an eternity, someone finally shouted out a price and Serena found herself looking into the eyes of the person who "purchased" her as a slave. She had imagined a stuffy old man with a long beard to be staring at her right now, but the person studying her was a handsome middle-age man with dark brown hair, kind blue eyes, bushy eyebrows, and a faded-brown drooping mustache with a smoke pipe sticking out of his mouth. He wore exclusive-looking garments which told Serena he was very, very, _very_ rich.

His eyebrow rose ever so slightly at the bold way she was looking at him.

She understood his meaning and quickly bowed her head in subservience. "I'm sorry, my lord."

"Very well. Let's get going." He gallantly made his way to his carriage and stepped in.

Serena looked up, expecting to sit up on top with the coachmen. But instead, her new master gestured her to enter. She did and sat down carefully, as not to make dirty the beautiful and highly expensive upholstery.

The ride to the mansion was deathly quiet and Serena was itching to get out of the stuffy carriage. At long last, they stopped and she waited patiently as her master stepped out first.

Serena got down last and turned around. Her mouth dropped open. It was so gorgeous! The mansion was gigantic! It had so many enormous windows, large oak doors, wonderfully manicured green lawns, and expensive looking water fountains; everything was magnificent! She broke out of her trance when she heard someone call out to her.

"Slave, get inside the house. I'll introduce you to your new mistress. Now, come on, move along," her master chided her gently.

She slowly made her way into the massive mansion.

As soon as they were both inside, the master rang for another maid.

Almost immediately, a maid came. She was a pretty blond with a large red bow in her hair. "Yes, sire?"

"Mina, I want you to call my family together. I want them to meet Josephina's new maid." He gave a slight wave of his hand and off Mina went.

Serena gazed at the wondrous beauty before her. She had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. She continued to stare at everything surrounding her when someone sharply called her to attention. She snapped back to reality and lowered her eyes as her master spoke. She swiftly took a peek at each her new masters and mistresses, studying them very closely.

First, she saw who she thought was the master's wife. She was a small lady, but very elegant and poised. She had dark auburn hair rolled up into an attractive hair bun. She appeared a little older than the master but what made her seem younger was that she had a compassionate face. Her eyes were a deep blue, caring but very alert. Serena listened carefully and noted that she was to be called, "my lady." "Ok, got it, Mrs. Vivian is to be called, "my lady," Serena thought.

The next person she was introduced to her was the master's oldest son, Darien. Serena had a take in a sharp breath when she saw how handsome he was! He had broad shoulders, a strong chin, kissable lips (blush), a slender nose, two beautiful steel blue eyes, and a head full of wavy brown hair. He was gorgeous! She lowered her eyes again as his gaze settled on her. She stiffened when she realized her was sizing her up. She felt a little offended by his boldness. She knew that she wasn't very pretty. Having long unmanageable blond hair that was _way_ past her knees, dark, dark, _dark_ blue eyes (so dark that it was hard to tell they were even blue!), and a terribly skinny body didn't really help the situation, either. She shrugged the helpless feelings away and concentrated on her master's words.

"This is my other son, Braden. You'll refer to him as "my lord,"…do you understand my words, slave?"

Serena nodded her head obediently, despite the fact that she hated being called "slave." She then realized that the master didn't even know her name. Oh.

Braden was the very image of his older brother. Just a tad bit not as handsome but still very much like him in appearance.

Master Shields then introduced her to her new mistress, the lady Josephina.

Josephina was the only girl of the family. Even at 15 years of age, she was the spitting image of her beautiful mother. She had the same dark auburn hair, although it was worn loose instead of in a bun. She also had the deep blue eyes that Vivian had. But instead of the compassionate face her mother seemingly possessed, Josephina had a scowl on her face, thus ruining her pretty features.

She stuck her nose up in the air and cried out, "Daddy! Why must I have such an UGLY maid like her? She's far too thin; she has depressingly dark eyes, and look at that horrible hair! Why can't I have a maid like Julia's? Hers is far prettier than this one! This is sooooo unfair! I-"

"That's quite enough, Josephina. I'll not have any more of your rudeness. This slave is well-mannered unlike that of Julia's. Her slave cannot be trusted. But I have a good feeling that this slave can be," interrupted Master Shields, his hand up, silencing his angry daughter's outburst.

Serena blushed pink at the comment. She silently thanked him.

Josephina bowed her head in shame, but didn't remove the scowl from her face.

"Last, but not least, my eight-year-old son, Adrian. You may call him, "little master," or sometimes even just "Adrian." He's too young to understand, anyways." Master Shields patted his youngest son on the back, earning a silly grin from the happy lad.

Serena took one good look at the lad and saw that he didn't look at all like his older brothers or even his father. Actually, the boy didn't look like anybody in his family. Adrian was a scrawny little boy with thick dark blond hair, laughing green eyes, and a goofy grin plastered on his small lightly tanned face. He was simply adorable! She had a feeling they were going to be good friends.

The master dismissed his family except for Josephina and watched as they made their way back to their rooms to finish whatever they were doing before supper was served. Then he turned his attention on Serena and his pouting daughter.

"What's your name, child?" he asked.

"Serena, my lord." _Finally_, now he'd stop calling her "slave!"

"Very well, Serena. You are to start serving Josephina this instant, understand? Whatever she asks of you, you must do it." He saw her nod her head. "Good. Now, be gone from my sight-both of you."

At the dismissing wave of his hand, Josephina stalked out of the room with all the dignity she could muster. "How _dare_ he! I cannot _believe_ he could do this to me-his only daughter, for Heaven's sake! Do I not but get a few pleasures in my life? Why must I put up with such an _ugly _slave? How Julia will laugh at me!" she thought furiously to herself. She ignored Serena who followed her around like a lost little puppy. She climbed the long and dreary staircase that led to her bedroom and glowered when she saw the maid trailing after her. "First thing's first. Leave me alone! Go away!" she practically screamed, but displeased at the fact that Serena barely even flinched at her harsh words. "Do you not understand English, slave? You must have been so poor that you couldn't go to school. Now, _you _be gone from my sight. I never want to see you again. Go back to your burnt down village. You belong there with the rest of those stinkin' rebels! You will never belong in the world of the civilized, _slave_!" Josephina said haughtily.

Then the door slammed _hard_ in Serena's face.

Serena's lip quivered. She tried to blink her tears away. "She's right. I didn't go to school because we couldn't afford it. But we are _not_ stinkin' rebels!" She flushed and murmured miserably, "Now what am I to do?"

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Hey, that's it for the first chapter. Hope you liked it…I guess. I have a feeling it'll have lots of chapters. Sorry that I make my chapters so short. The next chapter I promise will be very, _very_ long, ok? It's just been a hard time for me. But, I can do it! So, stay tuned for the next chapter. Maybe sometime next week or even this week, it _might_ be posted. You'll just have to wait and see, I guess, huh? Ok, well, I g2g. Adios, amigos! Hasta la vista! NO FLAMES, pls…it breaks my heart…lol…if you are a writer, too, you know what it feels like when people criticize your writing. Hey, don't get me all wrong. Criticism is good because it helps you become a better writer, and I like it sometimes, but in this case, _pls_, no flames. I can't bear them. Honestly, they break my heart…ok; I'll stop jabbering and let you go…adios!

Stay sweet,

Jade Ocean


	2. New Feelings

Hello! Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews! It has motivated me to continue this story. Hope you enjoy the second part of "Only a Slave." Happy Reading!

NOTE: In the first part of "Only a Slave," I made a _slight, small, teeny, weenie, spelling_ mistake…lol, _just a spelling mistake_. (Blush) But hey, I am kind of a perfectionist when it comes to spelling. So pls, just overlook it as you have done. And thanks again! Oh, and here's the sentence where I made that simple mistake…I can't _believe_ I did that!

"She stiffened when she realized _her_ was sizing her up."

AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!

It's supposed to be a _HE_!

_HE_ was sizing her up. Oh gosh…forgive me…

OH! And another thing you might've noticed is that Darien has brown hair in this story as I have described him in the first chapter. Well, actually, he has _black hair_. So from now on, Darien has black hair, ok? He's going to look exactly like he does on Sailormoon, got it? So does his brother, Braden. Braden's gonna have black hair, too, since they look alike, ok? Good.

LOL, I know I'm being weird. Sorry, it's just that I take my spelling seriously, lol, _too _seriously. Ok, ok, I'll let you go. ON WITH THE SECOND PART OF "Only a Slave."

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**Only a Slave**

**Part Two**

_Serena's lip quivered. She tried to blink her tears away. "She's right. I didn't go to school because we couldn't afford it. But we are not stinkin' rebels!" She flushed and murmured miserably, "Now what am I to do?"_

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Serena moaned, putting a tired hand to her pale forehead. She'd been sitting outside Lady Josephina's door for over two hours now and her mistress still hadn't come out. "She must need _something_…I mean, _anything_…please, oh please, let her come out of her room…"

Serena had made a vow, determined to make her new mistress like her. Even if Lady Josephina was the most difficult person in the _entire world_, Serena would still serve her the best way she could. She knew the penalty for disobeying, despite the fact that some people were terrible to their slaves. _Death_. Such a harsh word. Sad and painful memories came flowing back, causing tears to brim Serena's blue eyes. "Why did they have to die? Why did they leave _me_ here alone? Why?" She started sobbing, her face buried in her shaking hands. She didn't notice the tall figure of a man standing silently in the shadows, watching her. After a few minutes, her sobbing subsided until she was just hiccupping. She nearly gasped out loud when she heard a voice call out to her. Her heart dropped. _Darien_! She immediately stood up, her head bowed. Her long blond hair covered her tear-streaked face. For once, she was actually thankful for the long hair.

"Why were you crying, girl?" Darien asked in a commanding tone, staring down at her.

She kept her eyes properly lowered and answered respectfully, "I-I wasn't crying, my lord."

Darien's eyebrow rose. "Oh? Then why are those tears dripping from your face?"

Heat flooded through her cheeks. She wiped the remaining tears off her face with the back of her hand and looked up…_way up_ at him. Goodness, how tall he was! He was almost shoulders and up taller than her! She quickly thought of a way to direct the conversation away from her. Feeling helpless, she looked up at him and could only say abruptly, "My lord, is there anything I can get you? Some food, water…?"

Darien shook his head, making Serena cringe inwardly. "He's gonna ask me again…oh no, he's gonna ask me again…"

"Why are you standing outside my sister's door and not inside serving her?"

Serena breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't going to ask her why she was crying. Instead he was going to ask her what she was _doing_. She bowed her head and answered him truthfully. "She doesn't want me, my lord. I'm just waiting outside until she decides to call me in."

He grinned. "And that'll be like…_never_."

Serena caught a glimpse of him grinning and her heart melted. He was just too handsome…her face turned red as she saw him smiling at her. "My lord…"

"I'll speak with her. She mustn't let her slave stand out here _resting_, when she might need help with something." He winked at her before entering his sister's room. He slowly closed the door behind him, but not before giving Serena another wink.

Serena blushed and sat down again, hoping against hope that Lady Josephina would change her mind, and call for her. She grimly stared down at herself. She was wearing an old dress and dirty black sandals. Serena grimaced when she remembered her face. "Probably streaked with dirt and tears. I must have big, dark eye bags! Oh, what Lord Darien must think of me…"

She froze suddenly when she heard the door creak open.

Out walked a frowning Josephina and a smiling Darien.

Josephina glared at Darien while ignoring Serena. "You expect _me_ to keep her? Darien, it mustn't be so! She's ugly! Oh, how Julia will laugh at me!"

"Josephina, you're a 15-year-old child. Why must it matter what your slave looks like? _You have a maid_! Many of your friends can't even afford them! And why must you care what Julia thinks?" Darien threw his hands up in despair at the mention of the pretty but spoiled 18-year-old brunette with deep hazel eyes and a curvy figure.

Josephina screeched angrily, "I DON'T CARE ABOUT MY OTHER SO-CALLED FRIENDS! I CARE ABOUT WHAT JULIA THINKS BECAUSE SHE'S MY BEST FRIEND!" She growled at her oldest brother. "Now LEAVE ME ALONE!" She shot Serena dirty look before she slammed her bedroom door shut.

Serena winced. "Oh, dear…"

They were both silent after that, with Darien gazing at Serena intently and Serena could feel his gaze as she stared at the floor in heavy concentration, wishing for him to leave. They both looked up from their trance when they heard footsteps walking towards them.

Braden saw them at the other end of the long hallway and waved. Although he was only 17 years of age, he looked as though he was 20. He appeared beside his older brother and Serena couldn't help but stare at them. They looked _exactly_ alike! Darien was probably just an inch or two taller than Braden.

Serena remembered her place and said monotonously, her hands clasped tightly in front of her, "Would you like something to eat or drink, my lord?"

Braden shook his head. "No, thanks." Then he looked around. Josephina was nowhere to be seen. He scratched his head and asked, "Where's your mistress, girl?"

Serena answered, "She's decided to rest a little, my lord. Her ladyship has had-"

Darien interrupted gruffly, "We don't even know your name. What is it?"

"Serena, my lord." Joy shot through her body when she realized he wanted to know her name.

"Serena. _Serena._ Nice name…" Darien tested it.

Serena shivered. It sounded so wonderful when he said it. She glanced up and saw him staring at her _again_. She blushed and looked down.

Darien noticed it and looked away. He could feel his stomach tighten every time he looked at her. She was beautiful despite the fact that she hadn't taken a bath yet and changed her clothes.

Braden cleared his throat awkwardly. He could feel the growing attraction between the two but decided it best to say nothing. "Uh…"

Darien focused his attention on his younger brother and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I was looking for you everywhere. I have something to tell you. I, um, Raye called. She's coming over for tea. She, um, she told me to tell you that she, uh…" his face grew red, "She misses you and can't wait to see you…" he flushed, embarrassed.

Darien hid a smile. _Raye Carlsford_. His nineteen-year-old girlfriend. His father insisted he "hook up" with someone as rich and powerful as Raye, well, let's just say, her _father_. He sent Serena one last look before he started for the stairs. He noticed his brother followed him as well. He had to go and prepare _tea_ for Raye. His stomach growled. He had skipped lunch to go check out what his sister was doing. "Oh well," he mused, "I'll just eat at teatime with Raye." He raked a hand through his spiky _black _(lol) hair and sighed. "_Serena_…_Serena_…_Serena_…" was all he could think about.

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Serena watched him until he was no longer visible. She sat down again and sighed heavily. "He has a girlfriend…" she thought sadly, and then scoffed at herself. "Why should I care? He's my master, er, well, you know, and I'm-I'm _only a slave_…" She could feel tears brimming her eyes. "Why do I always have to end up crying?"

She squealed loudly when she heard a quiet but demanding voice call out to her. She straightened up and turned around. Her eyes widened.

Lady Josephina was standing in front of her, arms crossed over her chest, staring at Serena crossly. She tapped her foot impatiently as if waiting for something.

Serena bowed her head and asked softly, "My lady, what would you like me to do for you?"

Josephina stopped tapping her foot. She said crisply, "I want you to take a bath and change your clothes. You reek of disgusting odors and you are filthy. Do that and you can serve me." She tossed her head arrogantly.

Serena felt the anger boiling inside of her. Lady Josephina was _such_ a brat! Argh! Suddenly, she remembered her vow. She swallowed her pride and nodded her head. "I will do as you say, my lady."

Josephina smiled, satisfied. "You'd better, or I'll sell you!"

Serena gulped and hurried to do as her mistress bid her. She didn't look back once as she started down the stairs to the slaves' rooms on the other side of the mansion nearer to the kitchen. She found the small room she was assigned to and was pleased to find a plain blue and white dress, a navy blue shawl, and new black shoes. She hurriedly took a shower, finding it difficult because of her long hair, but did it anyways. As soon as she got of the washroom, she quickly tied her long blond hair into two buns, each one streaming past her knees. She examined herself in the small mirror and was pleased with the effect her hair had on her face. She could actually see her own eyes! She grinned when she saw how clean her face was. She no longer had dirt on it. All she could see was a soft flawless complexion and laughing blue eyes. She quickly slipped on the blue and white dress, throwing her old one in the trash. She placed her old sandals under her bed, and tried on the black shoes, happy when they fit her small feet perfectly. At the last moment, she decided she didn't need the shawl. "Oh, you look much better than you did before, Serena…maybe _now_ Lady Josephina will be nicer to you…" she told herself, feeling much more confident. She ran out of the room and went in search of her mistress. She looked everywhere until she found the beautiful Lady Josephina sitting contently in a chair on her balcony, overlooking the breathtaking site of mountains and valleys. She stepped forward, not wanting to scare her mistress. She cleared her throat, causing Josephina to look up in surprise.

"My, how fast you are, slave, er, I mean, _Serena,_" she drawled sarcastically, rising from her comfortable seat. She walked inside, and then turned around to face Serena. Josephina studied her carefully.

The slave definitely looked better than she did before. Her face was clean and the smile she now wore radiated with happiness. Her long blond hair had been tied into two loose buns at the top of her head, making it appear like two meatballs. Josephina's lips curved. "Meatball head…" she grinned to herself.

Serena squirmed under the intense gaze of Josephina.

Josephina smiled at how the blue dress fit her nicely and accentuated the girl's slender figure. _But she was still too thin_. Josephina breathed out slowly. She was gonna have to force-feed the slave and make her a little bit plumper before she showed her off to Julia. Julia hated skinny slaves. She said they looked like "dead skeletons." She often quoted, "Skinny slaves are like the dead among the living. They're sooo pale and thin that they could die out on you anytime. That's why I prefer plump but not _fat_ slaves. They last longer." Then Julia would laugh callously, as if slaves were pieces of furniture and not human beings.

Why Josephina even hung out with her and called Julia her best friend was beyond her family's knowledge. Julia was 18 years old and Julia was only 15. The entire family thought Julia Livingstone was a stuck-up rich snob who lost so many of her other rich friends that she turned to a 15-year-old naive girl for comfort. (Julia was really mean and selfish, that's why she has no friends.) But everyone in the family knew that the 15-year-old truly admired Julia. Josephina knew that if she hung out with an 18-year-old rich, pretty girl like Julia, she would be popular with the boys. And now, she was. Very.

Snapping back to the present, Josephina eyed Serena warily.

Serena kept her head bowed, waiting patiently for her mistress to say something.

"Alright, since you clean up pretty nicely, you can serve me. But I'm warning you, one false move, and I'll sell you, understand, slave?" Josephina threatened. Although she knew that Serena was older than her, she refused to acknowledge it. In her eyes, she had complete control over her maid despite how young she was. "And that's the way it's gonna be. Serena disobeys me once, and she's gone." She smirked to herself, and then commanded, "Now come, _slave_, we're going for tea." She smiled secretly to herself, knowing that Serena hated that name by the way she acted. "This'll be fun…"

Serena groaned inwardly. "Oh boy…I'd better behave or else, "she gulped, "Lady Josephina will sell me…" With that in mind, she followed her mistress obediently out of the room, closing the door with a soft _thud_.

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That's the end of the second chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Stay in touch for the next one. It should be posted by the end of this week! Hopefully! Adios!

Stay sweet,

Jade Ocean


	3. Tea Time

Hey, everyone! Thanks oh so much for the great reviews! I'm confident that I will finish this story…lol. Anyways, here's the third chapter. Happy reading!

NOTE: Josephina's nickname is Josie. Therefore, from now on, she will be referred to as "Josie." You have no idea how HARD it is to spell her name a million times! (Well, maybe you do.) _Anyways_, just keep that in mind, ok? Awesome! Read on!

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**Only a Slave**

**Part Three**

_Serena groaned inwardly. "Oh boy…I'd better behave or else, "she gulped, "Lady Josephina will sell me…" With that in mind, she followed her mistress obediently out of the room, closing the door with a soft thud. _

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"Raye! Wonderful to see you again. You look magnificent…_as usual_," Darien complimented his beautiful raven-haired girlfriend as she walked into the parlor.

Raye smiled dazzlingly and stood on her tipsy toes to kiss her boyfriend on the lips. "Darling, how I've missed you!"

Darien cleared his throat, embarrassed, just as his sister walked in. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Serena walk in after her. Then he stopped to think. _Since when did he care about a slave?_ He honestly didn't know what was wrong with him. He knew that Raye sometimes got on his nerves, being needy and clingy, but today, something seemed to disturb him even more. He gazed at Serena and willed her to look at him. She didn't. He sighed and turned his attention back to Raye, who was fawning over Josephina.

"I just _love_ your dress, _Josie_. It looks very good on you. I take it you had it tailored? Because I know for a fact that nobody sells those types of dresses..._yet_. But how gorgeous you look in them!" Raye flattered, smoothing out the small wrinkles on her own dress with her slender fingers.

Josie's face turned pink with happiness. She also liked hanging out with Raye because Raye was rich and sophisticated. She smiled at Darien, proud to call him her brother. "He has such good taste in women," she reflected, hiding a giggle behind her hand.

Darien smiled back at her, pleased to see her act like a 15-year-old instead of some 20-year-old. He could feel someone staring at him. He flicked his eyes over to Serena and grinned secretly when he saw her staring at him. He raised an eyebrow in question, as if challenging her.

She caught his meaning and blushed, glancing away to stare at the wall. She couldn't help but stare at him. He was just _sooooo_ handsome. She sighed to herself and wondered, "Does he-? Maybe he does…but-but I'm just a slave…oh, gosh, I have no idea…" She stood there, silent, listening.

"Darien? Sit down so we can have tea and a little snack. Tell one of the maids to come and serve us," Raye ordered, patting the seat next to her.

Darien rolled his eyes. "Bossy…" he muttered under his breath.

Raye heard it and asked, hurt, "What did you say, hun?"

Darien put his hands up. "Nothing, Raye. I-I just said, um-I'll go ring for a maid to serve us tea, ok?"

Raye nodded, still a little miffed.

Darien rang his little silver bell and Mina immediately appeared. "My lord?"

"Serve us some tea and a plate of dainty treats, Mina."

She bobbed her head and left the room.

Serena hadn't noticed the other blond maid until now. She looked almost like Serena that they could pass as sisters! She smiled at the sudden thought that popped in her mind. Maybe they could be friends! That would make life a little nicer, having a friend.

Darien noticed the far-away look in her eyes. He tore his gaze from her as Raye tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Yeah?" He groaned. She looked terribly annoyed. "Oh boy, here come the fireworks…"

"Why isn't the rest of your family joining us for tea? I miss your mother and father. I haven't seen them in sooooo long. Oh, Darien, how is Braden and Adrian? They must be so grown up now…" Raye babbled on and on.

Josie laughed at Raye. "Braden is at another friend's house and Adrian went with Father and Mother to the country fair. They had promised to take him and since today's the last day it'll be here, they decided to go. So we're all alone for tea."

Raye's eyes twinkled. "All alone, hey…?"

Darien didn't like the look in her eyes. It meant she was planning something _very bad._

A few minutes later, Mina appeared with two silver trays. One had a big pot of tea and three mugs and small china plates on it and the other was filled to the brim with lots of cookies, biscuits, and little chocolates. After she had laid it on the coffee table and poured tea for everyone, she retreated to the corner where Serena stood. She sent Serena a warm smile.

Serena understood the unspoken message that lay beneath the smile and grinned back, glad to know that she now had a friend, just as she'd hoped.

Both girls stood, silent and stiff as statutes as they listened quietly to the conversation going on around them.

Josie was giggling at Raye who was telling her all these funny stories about her family.

Even Darien cracked a smile.

"…so anyways, Father told Joey to break up with Anna, but he wouldn't do it! He simply told Father…" Raye continued on, causing Josie to erupt into another fit of giggles.

Darien couldn't help but chuckle at some of the some of the funny things Raye said. Yes, he had to admit she could be stuck-up and difficult sometimes, er, _most of the time,_ but she was really a funny, charming person underneath it all. He sighed, contented.

Josie managed to get a word in between Raye's story-telling. "So…" she started out slyly, "What's happening between the two of you? Do I hear wedding bells sometime in the future?"

Unfortunately, Darien had just taken a large gulp of his tea. He nearly spit it out in horror.

Serena and Mina's jaw dropped. "What!" ran rapidly through their minds.

Raye only looked amused. She winked at Josie who tittered gleefully. Raye glanced at Darien who was wiping his mouth with a napkin. She pouted prettily and placed a hand on his thigh. She merely smiled when she felt him stiffen.

He turned cold blue eyes on her, daring her to go on.

Raye shivered, not with fright, but with excitement. Darien was the _hottest man alive_ and he was going to be _all_ hers. She smirked to herself, pitying those who wished, _only wished_, that Darien could be theirs. "Victory is mine at last, thanks to Josie who asked the question for me…" she thought, satisfied, wrapping her long slender arms around his neck, and leaning forward to kiss him.

Darien instantly panicked. He didn't want SERENA to see him kissing Raye, for some odd reason. He quickly jumped out of his seat, causing Raye to fall forward on her elbows.

She picked herself up and glared at him. "What was that for? Can I not kiss my boyfriend?" she cried angrily, rubbing her sore elbows. She hissed crossly, "What's the matter with you? You haven't been acting much of a boyfriend to me today. Is there somebody else, Darien? Answer me! _Is there another girl?" _

Josie fell silent. She closed her eyes tightly, hoping that Darien would say the right answer. Raye looked extremely dangerous when she was mad.

Darien frowned, glancing over at Serena.

Serena watched him like a hawk, preparing herself for his coming answer to Josie's and Raye's questions.

He replied heavily, "There's no other girl, Raye. I promise you. _There's no other girl._" He looked down at Raye, whose face was red, and then focused his attention on his sister's tightly pinched face. "And to answer your question, Josie, I-I have no idea."

Josie opened her eyes slowly, her pretty features loosening up, and stared deep into his blue eyes. "Oh…I understand…I'm sorry," she murmured softly, not wanting to anger Raye again. She glanced over at the older girl and relaxed when she saw her trying to calm herself.

Raye drew in a sharp breath. "Why is he behaving like this? I must find out the reason why he's so withdrawn today…" she told herself, "And when I do get to the bottom of this, that girl, _I'm totally positive it's a girl_, well, let's just say, she'll receive her just rewards for messing around with _my_ boyfriend." She stood up abruptly, ignoring the offensive glares from Mina and Serena, and said crisply, "Well, it's been nice having tea with you. Please inform your parents of my fondest regards. When I see you next time, Darien, I beg you that you be _civilized_ and act like the Darien I know." She said that word so coldly, that Darien shuddered. Raye continued, speaking to Josie, "My warmest regards to you, Josie, dear. I shall see you soon. Good day. "And with that, she narrowed her eyes at Darien and then stalked off out of the room and out the door, leaving behind two wide-eyed slaves, a mouth-hanging Josie, and a confused Darien.

They looked at one another in shock, each shaking their head.

"What a strange girl," Serena murmured faintly to Mina.

Mina snorted unladylike. "You haven't even seen the _half _of it, hun."

They quieted down when they heard their mistress say something.

Josie closed her mouth and remarked. "Wow, wasn't that something, hey, Darien?"

Darien scrubbed a hand over his tired face. "It definitely was something …something I've never seen her do…" He looked over at the slaves and noticed they were talking quietly among themselves. He let out a frustrated sigh and muttered to himself. "I hope Raye is alright…what if she finds out about Serena, that I-I…what _do_ I feel for Serena? Oh my gosh…even I don't know…how did I ever get into this mess anyway?"

Josie studied her brother, wondering at how many emotions flitted across his handsome face. "What is the matter with Darien? Normally, he and Raye are off in a corner making out. I wonder…?" She shot a wary look at her slave. She had noticed that Darien often looked at Serena when he thought the slave wasn't looking. Josie drew in another sharp breath. "Does Darien…? No-I cannot believe it! I-I _won't_ believe…my brother is NOT in love with…_a slave_?" Josie felt the blood rushing out of her head. Feeling faint, she laid her head on the couch. "No, it can't be true. Serena's just a slave…why would he like her? How can he be in love with…_a slave_? _A slave_…" she whispered brokenly. Imagine being in love or for that fact, _liking_ a slave! It was preposterous! Slaves were for serving, not for falling in love with…

A muscle jerked in her jaw as she vowed silently to herself, "Well, it's going to end _here_ and _now_…" She glanced over frostily at Serena and narrowed her eyes. "And there's only one way to solve this problem…I will _not_ have my brother be in love with a slave. How people will mock our family name. I know what I must do…" She sent Serena a hard look and rose from her seat. Her lips in a grim smile, she walked past the door, watching out of the corner of her eyes making sure that Serena was following her. She smirked, "Now, let's just see how much a slave is worth…poor Serena, you don't have anybody now, do you?" She laughed callously, just like Julia.

Serena suddenly felt her body go cold. Hearing Josie's laugh made her tremble. "Just what is Lady Josie going to do?" She hurriedly followed her mistress up the stairs.

Meanwhile, Darien watched Mina clear the table and frowned. "I don't understand! Do I have feelings for Serena? Or-or what? Oh…" he growled irritably, his face in his hands.

Mina shot him a sympathetic look. He was definitely going to need all the help he could get to handle Lady Raye. She finished wiping the table, giving him one last sad smile before leaving the room.

Darien was all alone, left to drown in his own pity.

………………………………………………………………………………………...

Like it? I'm a little wired out right now. _**I'm gonna say right here and now that I'm going to take off maybe a week or even five days from writing chapters, ok?** _No, no, no, I'm still continuing them, but I need a break. I have to finish some unfinished schoolwork and pass some exams, so pls be patient and at the end of maybe next week or the week after, I'll be back and running, er, in this case, _writing._ Got it? So don't be disappointed if I haven't posted a new chapter this week or the next. I'll be right on it as soon as I do the other necessary things. Ok, good. Thanks so much for your understanding patience. Well, I g2g, thanks again for the reviews!

Stay sweet,

Jade Ocean


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